Voting stations are the public faces of the electoral management body and voting day the one time when the majority of the public will come face-to-face with formal democratic processes.
The public's experiences in voting stations--how they are treated, the perceived efficiency and integrity of voting station operations--will colour their attitude about the effectiveness of the electoral management body, and often the democratic process itself.
Voting hours operations are a massive exercise in voter service, not just a blind application of rules for the benefit of officials. Under the pressures, within the tight time frames common for elections, of constructing a large network of voting locations, staffing and supplying them, and ensuring that procedures are applied with integrity, administrators can at times lose sight of service issues. The service aspect is of equal importance to, and enhances, integrity.
As with any customer-based activity, poor voter service will drive the customers away. Experiences with long queues, rude or unknowledgeable officials, complex and ill-explained procedures and materials, inflexible facilities, and lack of accuracy in registration records can contribute to decisions not to participate in voting and, hence, in democracy.
Service considerations are an essential component of all stages of planning and preparation for voting, including:
• the voting procedures and methods used and the range of voting facilities provided so as to stimulate voter participation.
• the staffing levels allocated to voting facilities
• the voter information provided to voters
• the user-friendliness of design and the availability of election materials and equipment (see Materials and Equipment);
• the training provided to voting station staff
• the measures taken to assure voter safety
Planning Considerations
In the end, no matter what preparations are made, service and integrity rest on the practicality of voting procedures and the quality of their implementation by voting station staff on voting day. Elements that need to be carefully considered in providing voter service during voting hours include:
• voting station locations, size, and facilities—(voting station area, staffing, materials, and equipment allocations) should be of sufficient capacity to cope with the expected number of voters
• voting station layouts should create a one way flow of voters from the entrance, through eligibility checks, issue of ballot materials, to voting compartments, casting of ballots, and thence to the exit
Service Implementation
In implementing plans for voter service, attention needs to be paid to:
• methods of controlling crowds of voters waiting to vote to promote an orderly, efficient, and friendly atmosphere in the voting station, using voting station layouts that encourage a logical flow of voters through the voting station, and ensuring that waiting time to vote is minimised
• determining eligibility of voters to vote speedily, accurately, and courteously, and in a manner that minimises possible disruption to other voters.
• the manner of issuing ballots and casting votes (see Issue and Casting of Ballots);
• provision of information to voters that will assist their understanding of the voting process (See Informing and Assisting Voters) and providing assistance to voters with physical disabilities or literacy or language problems;
• systems to identify voters who may need further information or assistance early, before they reach the eligibility check and accountable voting materials issue area and possibly delay other voters' progress;
• helping people who turn out to vote at a voting station at which they are not eligible to vote ;
• motivating and supervising voting station officials in the performance of their duties (see Voting Station Staff Management);
• providing a secure voting station environment (see Security in Voting Stations).
